Kansas City games bring out the best

If only the Milwaukee Admirals could put Kansas City Blades' uniforms on their opponents for the remainder of the season.

The rest of the International Hockey League would be in trouble.

Behind Dave Mackey's go- ahead goal in the third period, the Admirals won for the eighth time in nine games against the Blades this season, 3-2, in a game played in a playoff-type atmosphere before a sell-out crowd of 17,686 Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

With the victory, the Admirals, who ended a five-game homestand, improved to 36-20-8, while the Blades fell to 31-33-3.

"That was a good solid game," Admirals coach Phil Wittliff said. "The intensity was high on both sides. We made a lot of errors {Friday} night and we really needed a victory."

Mackey rebounded a shot by Shawn Evans for his second goal of the game, breaking a 2-2 tie at 13 minutes 24 seconds of the final period.

The goal came against goaltender Jim Hrivnak, the former Admiral who was lent to the Blades for the remainder of the season on Feb. 28. Hrivnak, who hadn't been in a game since playing for the Admirals on Jan. 14, replaced injured starter Pat McGarry 8 minutes into the final period.

Hrivnak, who didn't leave Milwaukee on the most pleasant of terms, was said to have gotten into an incident with Admirals' goaltender Mark Laforest during the pre-game warmups.

Hrivnak was asked after the game if he had anything to say about his departure from the Admirals, who still hold his rights.

"Thank you Milwaukee Admirals for letting me go to the Kansas City Blades," he said, "and letting me play."

Asked about the incident with Laforest, Hrivnak said: "We bumped at center ice. That's all."

Laforest gave a "no comment" on the incident, but added: "I have no animosity toward him. It's a tough situation for him, but it's nothing I'm going to worry about."

After Kansas City grabbed a 1-0 lead, the Admirals tied it 50 seconds into the second period when Mackey sizzled in a shot under McGarry's glove from the blue line.

Milwaukee grabbed its first lead of the game 5:19 into the third when Gino Cavallini slammed it past McGarry from between the circles for his 45th goal of the season at 5:19.

Copyright 1995
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